Bangkok Post: Day 3

Day 3 was spent at a local flea market, where we had to go by a ferry. The market was called 'Sampeng market', & it reminded me of Mumbai markets. A narrow lane with shops abound on both its sides. And hawkers clogging it at occassional distances, with most of them selling local street food. We checked out many shops & also bought some gift items & takeaways. While asking the prices, holding the article or sometimes pointing to it, mom used to ask in Marathi, "Hyaachi kimmat kaay?" (what is the price for this?). And the shopkeepers used to quote their prices. Then mom & me used to laugh saying the Thai vendors understand Marathi... he he he!

One thing that struck me was that inspite of the crowding in the lane, neither anyone was pushing the other person, nor was anyone shouting irately. Discipline & utmost respect for the other person are inherent in Thai culture, and it shows!

We returned from the flea market in the evening with our shopping bags. By that time mama had returned from office & he took us to a nearby joint so that we could enjoy some street food. He told me that the best way to taste Thai food was to opt for street food. You find many varieties in street food & thats how you get introduced to a plethora of cuisine. Mama ordered hoithot (shells in omlet), sea-food yakisoba (japanese preparation of sea-food in noodles), phad thai (noodles with sprouts & prawns) & auy suan (oysters in egg base). We tasted each if these turn by turn & liked all of them. It was very 'aroy' (aroy=delicious). We returned home & topped the delicacy treat with a bowlful of 'rum & raisin' ice-cream!

Bangkok Post: Day 2

Day 2 in Bangkok was a day to venture out as tourists are meant to. But this day was not just another day... it was my birthday! 1st time ever, I was not celebrating my birthday in India. Last time I remember I had cut a mango cream cake in the Bangalore-Mumbai Udyaan express when we were returning from an Industrial visit. I had a good time with my friends then. Ok now coming back to Day 2:

Hitting the gym

In the morning, I was wished a happy birthday by mama & mami. Mom, as per her traditional practice for so many years, wished me at 08:09 hrs IST; my birth time. After a breakfast of Tuna sandwich, I blogged about my Day 1 experiences. Having finished with that, I decided to hit the gym which mama had shown me the earlier day. Since it was a working day, there was no one at the gym at 11 in the morning. I turned on the music on my Palmtop & started with my workout. I pumped iron for about an hour & returned home with inflated veins. Thats a pleasing sight to my eyes! Yeah...

Sky train & shopping centre

At about 3 pm, we left home for some sight seeing & shopping. For crossing over to the opposite side of the Chaophraya river, we had to board a ferry. Soon, we were at the other side & bought tickets (self-service through ticket vending machine) to a station called 'National Stadium'. Alighting at the platform, we straight made our way into the 'Tokyu' shopping centre which is connected directly to the platform. Now thats what I call convenience! This multi-storeyed shopping centre had a lot to offer on the shelves & we didn't have much time to explore each corner. We mostly did window-shopping there, while checking out some local stuff.

Gender-bender

Mom got particularly interested in some dress which she wanted to try out. The salesgirl, a petite Thai cutie was helping her with the size & other things, in her sweet-spoken crude english. For a guy like me, coming across a variety of Indian girls all these years, almost all the Thai girls look the same: petite, fair, chinky eyes, slim & yeah... very beautiful! I jokingly told myself that if I ever were to marry a Thai gal, very soon I would be charged with infidelity! (he he he...) Because they all look very much the same! Now coming back to this cute salesgirl... she took mom to show her the trial room. Mami & me accompanied & when we were waiting outside for mom to change, mami told me, "you know what mihir, this salesgirl is a trans-sexual"(I later learnt that they are called 'kathay' in Thailand). I gulped in disbelief! I mean she... er... he... was actually a male! And quite a beautiful male I must admit! God!!... Thai boys would be facing a tough time! Mami also added that there have been some cases where guys found out after marriage that their 'wives' were... well... guys! Now whoever said "Ignorance is bliss" was 100% not a Thai lad!!

Celebration time!

In the evening when we returned, mama's secretary had come home to see me & mom. She was eager to meet the guests from India. She had brought a cake with her since she came to know from mama that it was my birthday today. I cut the cake, with everyone singing "happy birthday to you". Pom (mama's secretary) also joined in the jingle with her elementary english. (imagine english given a thai accent). Pom then gifted me a set of lovely red chopsticks with a golden design on it. I thanked her & said, "Khun Pom, ani suaay". (Pom, this is beautiful). I was very delighted by this gesture of my new Thai friend to arrange for a cake & gift me chopsticks. Pom then asked for a photograph with me. Now my mama was pulling my leg, saying that I was lucky... a Thai girl arranging a cake for me & wanting a photograph with me. He quipped teasingly, "I wasn't so lucky at 22... celebrating birthday with a foreigner gal". Pom then had Indian dinner with us. While leaving she said she enjoyed meeting me & mom. We also thoroughly enjoyed having her for the evening. It was indeed a memorable birthday for me and also for my mama & mami... their nephew celebrating his birthday in their house!

Bangkok Post: Day 1

Incidently, 'Bangkok Post' is to Bangkok as 'Times of India' is to Mumbai. I thought of posting daily experiences of my Bangkok trip under this blog name. This is the 1st of the blog series to come. Reclining on a sofa after a good start to my trip, now is the time to write about the day's findings & visits.

We said Sawaddikhap (sawaddikhap=hello) to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport at 04:55 hours Bangkok time (03:25 hours IST) on 9th Jan & I was spellbound seeing the expanse & the ambience of this magnificient airport. The long corridors/walks of the airport were facilitated through conveyor belts with paintings adorning the walls. The rendezvous with the airport ended shortly after we completed the formalities & were warmly received by my Mami. We then drove off to my Mama's residence which took us about 30 minutes from the airport. Cruising on the highway at 120 kmph in Mama's black Toyota Camry was a welcome change for a Mumbai lad used to the banal slow moving traffic scenarios.

Soon mom & I arrived at Mama's place...& what a place! The 25th floor apartment overlooking the Chaophraya river offered a magnificient view of the city, the riverside & the speeding highways! And not to mention, the building has its own gym & swimming pool apart from other places of interest. This is going to be my home for the rest of my stay here.

Till evening, the day was spent in freshening up, lunch & sleep. In the evening, all of us (me, mom, mama, mami) went to a local market to buy some vegetables & eatables. This is one experience we Bombayites never have. The place can be told about or photographed; but you can't make somebody experience the smell! You have to be there to smell that. Its basically a medley of sorts; fish, fruits, vegetables, meat... all being sold next to each other. So you can 'try' imagining the 'aroma'!

We came home & had Tom Kloang (tom=soup) which is a Thai soup, Yam (yam=salad) & Laab paduk (Laab=mince & paduk=type of fish) with rice for supper. Tom Kloang had pieces of octopus in it and tasting octopus for the 1st time, I enjoyed it! The night-view of the Chaophraya river is all the more beautiful, with colourfully illluminated boats ferrying up & down the river. I end my day watching the bedecked boats & bridge and enjoying a dollop of tender coconut icecream!

Dating a million beauties!

I am writing this while on board the flight to Bangkok. Currently experiencing turbulence & having a lovely cuppa of coffee served by the teenie-weenie eyed airhostess of Thai Airways, i look out of the window. Since this is a night flight & its 1:15 am, the cabin lights have dimmed & everyone is ready to doze off. But for me, sleep is the most uninteresting thing to do in a flight.

I try star-gazing at 35000 feet... its something that i feel is much more worth than sleeping on a night flight. Through the tiny window on my right, I peep to have a hearty look at the galactic beauties! Beauties which shy away from me & hide behind their curtains of cloud when i try to seek them from the city sky, filled with smoke & dust particles. But today, no one can stop me having a sumptuous rendezvous with them! I have never felt more closer to them than I am feeling now. And while everyone is having a good sleep, there's no one to disturb me on this 'date'. Not even the mobile phone!! Enough of words I feel, now let my eyes do the talking!

(Reminds me of the song "We are going to the moon and back" by Savage Garden!!)

Boyfriends v/s I-pods

I happened to hear a conversation between my friend & her friend (both girls), one fine evening & from their conversation, I couldn't help drawing similarities between the 2 'omnipresent commodities': Boyfriends & I-pods. So I let my mind run free in its own humorous sway & lo! It churned out certain similarities & differences between these 2 'must haves'...

1) Boy 1: Dude!! Look at this cool-drool... the latest I-pod... Its 80 GB & loaded to rock your ears out!

Boy 2: Thats nothing man! Look at this 120 GB bombshell!!

Now a parallel version of this conversation between two girlies would be:

Girl 1: Babe! My guy is a macho. He weighs 80 Kgs & can make guys 'run for' their gals.

Girl 2: Sigh!! My boyfriend is 120 Kgs & I hope he doesn't 'run down' any poor girl.

Moral: Kgs & GBs don't mix... Bigger is not always better!

2) Boy 1: Shit man! Its only 3 months & my new I-pod is pissing me off. I think I better grab the latest one on the shelves.

Boy 2: Hmmm... I was luckier. I bought another one only after I enjoyed an entire year of a music blast with mine.

And girls have their fair share:

Girl 1: Buddy, its only 3 months with my new boyfriend & he is already pissing me off.

Girl 2: So soon? I enjoyed a whole year with my boyfriend before I called it quits.

Moral: STATUATORY WARNING: Sooner or later, boyfriends & I-pods may piss you off. It all depends how much patience you have (or can try to have!)

3) Boy 1: (After an year of full-volume music on his I-pod) You know what? I think my I-pod is deafening me out. I can't hear anything which is on a lower volume.

Boy 2: Sorry..come again. Didn't hear you!

And then girls are not to be left behind:

Girl 1: (After having a boyfriend for an year) My boyfriend just doesn't talk sweetly with me. He is always croaking out loud like a frog. I pretend to be deaf while listening to him.

Girl 2: Yeah!... Its the same old story. Sigh!!

Moral: I-pods make you deaf, boyfriends make you wish you were deaf!

So guys, go ahead... enjoy your ear-throbbing I-pods

& girls, enjoy your boyfriends with all their inherent, quintessential qualities!

Girl 3: (shocked!!) Qualities??? Mihir, you said Q-U-A-L-I-T-I-E-S???? (faints!!)

New Year Cops (version 2008.1)

Whats so special about this picture? Yes, from a photographer's point of view, nothing makes it special. But, hold on... for all the people of Mumbai out there, isn't this picture pleasantly surprising? Still didn't get it? Look at the traffic cops (we 'fondly' call them as 'paandus')!! Ever seen paandus without an ounce of paunch on their tummies? Maybe these are new recruits, thats why! (no, I am not hinting ;-)). And a little bird told me about what these two were talking about ... the New Year Resolution!!

They have resolved to flaunt paunches by the year end! Now thats something of an 'achievable' resolution. I sincerely pray that their kids get 'home-grown' punching bags as their next year's New year gift! (that will be version 2008.12... lol).

Lost!

I can't find myself in me
Trapped in the wilderness of thoughts
In this world full of dreadful cynicism
I am Lost!

Looking in the transparent mirror

I find my mind & soul at daggers drawn

And in between this gruesome clash

I am Lost!

Who am I? Am I here with a purpose?

Thinking seems to be the cruelest enemy

In the mixed bag of thoughts & actions... somewhere

I am Lost!

Unnoticed goes the silver lining; at the cloud I stare

Yearning for the rain of comfort to wash me away

And then like a drop in the ocean... unidentified

I am Lost!

Why animals are different from humans...

A Leopard takes care of Baby Baboon after killing its mother !! Does the 'civilized' man show such a compassion??

Scheduled = Arrived?

No.. don't reach out for your thesaurus... you won't find it there. You may find it this equation the next time you go to fetch someone arriving at Mumbai's International Airport.

It so happened that yesterday, mom and I happened to go to the airport to receive Mama (uncle) who has come down to India for a brief stay. This is an annual ritual for us and so upon reaching the terminal, I checked out the arrival status screen put up outside the arrival lobby. The CX751 Cathay Pacific (mama's flight) was showing the 'scheduled' status. I told mom and we geared up for an impending wait. I chitchatted with mom for some time discussing miscellaneous things and again after 15-20 minutes, I went to check the refreshed status. It showed the same old 'scheduled' status and I again returned. For about 30-40 mins we were waiting for the change in status, but no luck!!

Then suddenly, mom saw mama on the other side of the glass in the lobby and told me so. I said, "Mom, the flight has not yet arrived. Don't you see... the screen is still showing scheduled. Its not even arrived yet." But then in less than a minute, I saw mama merrily coming out with his trolley! I was astonished & in disbelief I again glanced at the status screen. The screen still showed 'scheduled' for a flight that had already arrived long back!

I couldn't believe this. We all trust the arrival status screens so much that we don't ever question it. But for this incidence, it truly shattered my trust on the display system. And come to think of it... this airport is ISO certified (what a joke!). I left the terminal with mama & a skeptical look at Mumbai International Airport.

The November Errata

Well, November is almost about to make an exit... and this blog should have come up much earlier!

Whoever said B-schools in India produce world class managers, all accoutred for the corporate hot-seat need to do a serious rethinking. And especially when the spotlight of this quetching piece of blogging is one of India's Top 10 B-schools, churning out MBAs with their dosage of 'Six Sigmas' and 'Peter Druckers'!

I am referring to this year's desk-calendar of SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai (one of India's leading B-schools). The month of November 2007 in this calendar starts with Monday being the day on 1st of November, whereas November actually starts on Thursday! If you think thats all, behold... November has 31 days in this calendar (ouch! God bless my knuckles).

Apparently, it seems just a minor mistake. But then, when it comes from a B-school of a great repute, it certainly makes me think for a minute. The Institute which instills discipline of thought, meticulous behaviour & perfection in its students, ought to practise what it preaches. If this errata has gone unnoticed by any of the authorities, it surely makes me think about the standards the B-school works on! And just like I got a copy of this calendar, many people, many corporate houses related with SP Jain may have also got a copy. When you are creating a brand name in the market (like SP Jain in this case), its absolutely essential to live by that name!

I do not wish to offend anyone from that institute, but as a critical and a little fastidious person, I felt that I had to bring it up on this page. Its just another constructive criticism!

Its Diwali time!

Greenhouse? Ozone? Sounds familiar.....

Pollution? Smoke? Sounds familiar.....

Noise? Toxic gases? Sounds familiar.....

Cough? Respiratory disorders? Sounds familiar......

Accidents? Fires? Sounds familiar.....

Decibel levels? 10pm deadlines? Sounds familiar......

Be responsible? Have sense? Sounds familiar.....

But hey!!! Get a life...after all its Diwali time... Enjoy!!! Who cares????

The Beauty in the Crowd

Far away she stood, away from the chaotic crowd

The merrymaking seemed hard to douse

The claps & whistles would never drown

She stood there, alone & unmoved..

Oh! I fell for that girl ... the Beauty in the crowd!

I stopped in my tracks, ignoring the human abound
My gaze fixed at her, hypnotically as it may sound
Her pretty face with a void expression

Evoked my attention, I knew there had to be a reason..

Oh! I fell for that girl ... the Beauty in the crowd!

I observed her face, trying to read her

A hundred thousand emotions resonating on it

Hope, despair, love, tragedy .. I almost lost count

Never had I seen them so vividly, I fail to recollect..

Oh! I fell for that girl ... the Beauty in the crowd!

My feet stepped forward, I knew I had to talk

But she moved before I could, and joined the pervious crowd

I cursed myself in an utter despair

And the next moment, it was all over with a deafening sound..

Oh! I fell for that girl ... the Suicide Bomber!

Sex Sells !!

Well, I am not talking about prostitution or pornography. I am talking about sex selling in broad daylight, overtly, in front of thousands of people & corporate delegations. I happened to be a witness to this 'sleaze marketing' about 3 weeks back.

Crudely put, it was much of a 'soft sleaze' analogous to 'soft porn'. I happened to visit Asia IT Expo '07 and there I was a witness to this widely used marketing tactic. Many of the visitors may not have been in a state to comprehend these situations, because rationality loses ground in visually tantalizing scenarios. One may not realize that he is getting lured into visiting that stall & checking out the products. Its one of the most successful marketing mantras & is unfortunately, here to stay.

The fact that surprised me was that the corporate houses using this 'soft sleaze' were among the top companies of that segment. Normally, a lesser known company would resort to such gimmicks in order to attract visitors to their products. Why does the world leader in processors require pretty girls in micro-minis to markets its new range? I mean, the name is enough for a consumer like me, to whom features of a new Notebook PC would appeal rather than those of a girl wearing a skimpy outfit. The same applies to a company dealing with security equipment like surveillance cameras, hiring girls in order to rake in visitors to their stall. The visitors' surveillance on the girls was much more prominent than any of their peeping security lenses!

These practices are rampant on most of the marketing checklists. May it be TV shows, advertisements, billboards - sex truly sells. And even 5 star hotels & reception desks in offices are no exception. After all, what matters at the end of the day is the Sales Graph! And sex is a tried & tested way to boost it. The visit to this "Asia IT Expo(sure) '07" turned out to be quite a first hand experience on these 'practices'. And yeah, of course I did come across some great products too!

The Lady in the Blue Jumpsuit

"We are not powerless specks of dust drifting around in the wind, blown by random destiny. We are, each of us, like beautiful snowflakes - unique, and born for a specific reason and purpose." These words by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross aptly metaphor the essence of Sunita Williams, the NASA astronaut who has made mankind proud by her achievements. She has become a youth icon to say the least, moreover a perennial source of inspiration for our generation. I am feeling highly elated and fortunate to have attended an interactive session by her, yesterday at Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay.

A keynote interactive session was arranged by the Aerospace Department as a part of their ongoing festival "Zephyr '07". After eagerly standing in a long queue for about an hour, finally it was the moment to see Ms. Williams live in person. My excitement knew no bounds and shortly she was right there, before our eyes waving and approaching the centre-stage. This 'lady in the blue jumpsuit' - a term I coined after her trademark blue NASA jumpsuit - got a standing ovation from a packed audience of about 3000. The claps resonated the convocation hall and looked like they would never cease. The enthralled audience (many of which were school children) finally took their seats and waited for Sunita Williams to address them. Ms. Williams begin her session desribing her 195-day spaceflight as her 'Summer Vacation'. She shared her experiences with the help of a video clip from inside the Internation Space Station. We watched, spellbound and agape, as she went about describing her daily chores, eating, drinking, exercising and conducting vital scientific experiments in a zero-gravity environment! It was surely and literally an 'out-of-the-world' summer vacation! She also emphasized on the role of the space station and the various experiments carried out there, much of them oriented towards getting to know the behaviour of living things in a non-terrestrial environment. "This" she said, "would help mankind to find other possible options for human habitation, like the moon!"

She also described her vivid memories of seeing the earth from up there. “From space you realise how beautiful our planet looks with all its mountains, crevices, valleys and streams and you can't see any borders from up there. All kinds of borders - national, caste, creed, gender, etc - exist only on papers and in your mind!", she exclaimed, with an underlying message of a holistic approach that we should not restrict our identity as a citizen of a particular country, but as a citizen of the Earth.

Then the interactive session kicked off, with the school kids dominating the session with their curiosities about the space and Ms. Williams. The organizers had a busy time running about the hall, trying their best to get as many people to ask questions. Ms. Williams gave comprehensive answers to queries ranging from her thoughts on global warming, space tourism to that of encountering any aliens! When asked about her source of inspiration, she replied that firstly it was her parents and then Mahatma Gandhi.

Time flew quickly, and soon it was time to bid farewell to her. A roaring applause showered affection and good luck for her future endeavours - the least we could do for a befitting role model. I came out of the hall with a happy heart, wishing these inspiring memories would forever remain undiffused in my mind and heart. I had just been with one of the beautiful snowflakes in that quotation by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross!

Sunita Williams - A Factfile

Commander - US Navy

NASA Astronaut

Records As a female Astronaut
» Longest Spaceflight (195 days)
» Number of Spacewalks (4)
» Cumulative time of spacewalks (29 hrs 17 min)

Nutshell Identity

I came across this jingle (well...more like a song) recently while watching a television channel. Inspite of being a Marathi, I hardly have an inclination to watch Marathi channels; so the other day, it was almost like a rare rendezvous with a Marathi channel on television.

No sooner did I tune in to that channel, than the 'Title Song' of the channel started. The channel was 'Mee Marathi' and to my knowledge, has recently begun its telecasts. Now it so happened that many of my friends had happened to mention it to me that this jingle (call it whatever you want) was a very popular one. So just out of curiosity I spared the remote control of another channel switch, and decided to have a look at the entire jingle.

Though I don't remember the exact sequence or the flow of the jingle, I remember that after I watched the entire jingle, I quitely smiled. The jingle depicts the glorious history and culture of Maharashtra, no doubt; but at the same time it doesn't depict anything else!! I mean its okay that you start the jingle with Maratha warriors brandishing swords and the Saffron flag, a part of the history every Marathi soul is proud of. Then the jingle continues into the cultural aspects of Maharashtra, the culture which we have proudly inherited. Even that is appreciated. Then the jingle again revolves around the Maratha warriors; occasionally with bursts of a musical slogan: "Mee Marathi"...meaning, "I am a Marathi (son of the Marathi soil)". The slogan has a effect of reiterating the Marathi identity. Another thing that struck me in this jingle is the body language and the bravado depicted. I feels its uncalled for.

For the time being I assume that I am a third person, hardly knowing Maharashtra and Marathi people. I will surely feel that the identity of a typical Maharashtrian revolves around his pride for the Maratha kingdom and the culture. Thats it! What other impression do I get of Maharashtra from this? Sadly, nothing more! Now if you are a Maharashtrian reading this blog, maybe you would get an impression of me being churlish, but please don't forget I am just referring to that jingle only.

Right from my school days, I have been watching these song videos on TV depicting National Unity and Integration. Surely, culture and history have a major role to play, but they are not all encompassing. These videos used to show the progress India has made in multifarious domains; sports, literature, science, medicine, space, academics, theatre, music, etc., and featured eminent personalities in these fields, and as a whole gave a fair view as to what India's identity is to any foreigner. Had it been the dominant parameters of history and culture, those videos would have only featured the historical rulers and kings of India and the rich and varied diverse cultures. Analogous to this national progress, it goes without saying that every region or state also has its own footprint on sands of progress and rediscovered identity. And that very depiction is amiss in the jingle that I have described. Maharashtra has produced such eminent personalities in almost every field that it makes any Marathi beam with pride. People like Dhondo Keshav Karve, Jyotiba Phule, Dr. Jayant Narlikar, V. Shantaram, Lata Mangeshkar, Sachin Tendulkar and numerous others carry on their shoulders the modern identity of Maharashtra.

The bottomline of my displeasure with this jingle is that it depicts a serious miniaturization of the Marathi identity. In todays' time, we have come out of that nutshell and made our mark in almost every field. So does it convey the identity it is meant to convey- "Mee Marathi"?

URL for this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNrzm3Gudd4

Does Friendship need a day?

The first Sunday of August! The scraps start filling my scrapbook on Orkut & SMSes wake me up early. The occassion? Well, the much celebrated 'Friendship Day'. It is one of the most popular days in school & college circuits. The day when guys & gals tag their friends' wrists with colourful satin ribbons embossed specially for the occassion. When I was in school, even I used to celebrate this day with much fanfare. But then after one fine Friendship Day in Junior College, I happened to take a critical look on this yearly celebration, and happily that was the last Friendship Day for me.

As I write this blog, SMSes pour in. And I smile sarcastically. I wonder whether we need a day for celebrating one of the thickest bonds of human relationship - FRIENDSHIP!! Have we so much lost our essence of friendship that we need to dedicate a special day for remembering that special bond? My mind fails again and again to grasp the 'reason' behind this hyped celebration. And I am happy to be a part of the small minority which thinks the same.

Thinking about friendship, the first thing that reminds me of this word is the friendship between Krishna & Sudama or for that matter Krishna & Draupadi. Those friendships give us the proud feeling of being a part of a culture where friendship was not just a mere nomenclature of a relation. That friendship existed - and I highlight - was 'celebrated' every single day, every single hour, and every single moment. That friendship did not need a reason to be reminded or kept alive, or a memorial day. And I, for one, believe in that friendship.

Coming back to the college campus, many of the times, Friendship Day is celebrated by many who don't actually know why they are celebrating, but are gripped by peer pressure (they won't admit openly). They don't give it a second thought and are least bothered to reason out. Another ritual which is omnipresent is to decorate the wrists & hands of each other with ribbons & worse - sketch pens! (they make awesome totem poles .. ha ha). Our graffiti kings & queens sometimes don't even spare the clothes. And when its all over, the person covered the most with festoons of ribbons & pen-marks feels highly elated, counting the number of friends who have made a human canvas out of him. More closely you resemble a joker; more is your popularity quotient - that’s the unstated funda! So the marks & ribbons quantify friendships - strange!

Another aspect behind encouraging Friendship Day by the media & the business world is nothing but a commercially viable event! Friendship is looked upon as a commodity which can set your cash registers jingling; and we don't feel sad about the commercialization of friendship at all! The satin ribbons & friendship bands become abound at every corner shop, while the shopkeepers sell them at twice or thrice the cost as compared to any other day when no one gives a damn about them. Well ... its another of those 'Friendship' gifts for the Chinese production houses! Also, I don't need to elaborate on the statistics of single day profits for telecom players who happily provide SMS services to cater the 'wishes' of its consumers (pun intended!). Its a profitable day for them. So why won't they promote the festivities?

By now many of you who are disagreeing with me on this issue must be thinking that I am writing this blog, filled with jingoistic culturalism. But believe me, my lines of thought are different from the fundamentalists who don't even know why they vandalize a gift shop on Valentines' Day (read between the lines!) Maybe we both are antagonists of such events, but its the thought behind the antagonism that differs and counts. Moreover, I wouldn't & won't ever link this to being something against our rich, magnanimous, fertile Indian culture nor being anything which seems typically anti-West (a very handy tool if you can't think of anything else). Most people relating such events to their popular outcry of 'anti-West' don't even know what is to be opposed in being so-called 'Anti-West'. No! I won't ever resort to such arguments.

My argument is simple & straightforward, which should arise in any questioning & thinking mind. Celebrating is not the objection, but the justification of motive behind celebration is in question. Every action has a motive & if that motive is inconsistent & irrational with respect to the action, the whole essence of action is at loss & becomes a subject of mockery for the rational mind.

So next time you pick up that dazzling friendship band or pick up your cell phone to send friendship day messages, its my friendly advice to you to let your mind give it a little thought.

A Trek to Kanheri Caves

I had gone for a half-day trek to Kanheri caves (Borivali - Mumbai) with some friends of mine on 22nd July. It wasn't a rainy day, but the weather was pleasant with an inviting zephyr. The road to Kanheri caves passes through the forest of the National Park and took us about 2 hours getting to the Caves. The scenic beauty on the way to the caves was very appealing and my friend - an ardent photographer - clicked many such moments in Nature's Garden. The trek became all the more memorable due to these lovely pictures which embellish my desktop background today!

I would like to share those picturesque images of the bountious Nature with you all ! You will find the pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mihirtronics

Have a look !

"BREAKING NEWS"

NEWS - That is one thing I look forward to watch on television after a day crammed with study and lectures. The true essence of News is to keep us posted on the day's events & its analysis (preferably without a bias... Utopian expectations!!). It is a primary source of information which helps us to keep abreast with current socio-politico-economical situations & to set up a thought-provoking analysis on problems faced on a micro or a macro level. This objective is accomplished only if there is a certain standard set for broadcasting news. According to me, the standard of news of a city, state or a country greatly reverberates the thought-standard of its citizens. Hence quality of news is of vital importance.

But nowadays, I am surprised & equally disappointed by twisted concepts in the world of news broadcasts (here I mean news on TV). For example, the concept of "BREAKING NEWS" is a concept used by news agencies to broadcast news of high priority, or of critical importance that supersedes all other news at that moment. It is urgent, important and needs highlighting. Having said that, it goes without saying that a certain discretion - intellectual & in some cases political - is applied to the news feed before broadcasting it as "Breaking News". This I feel should be the generic parameters of classifying news as "Breaking".

Coming to my point of disappointment, the crux of my disappointment lies in the fact that the basic identity of "Breaking News" is carelessly flaunted & tainted - that’s what I observe as a viewer. This I am pinpointing to some Indian News Channels which I believe, lack the intellectual capacity for classifying news. Let me cite one of the numerous examples supporting my observation.

I suppose the 'chartbuster' "BREAKING NEWS" of year 2006 for news channels was the rescue of a toddler "Prince" from a pit in Haryana. All the news channels were beaming each & every development in the rescue operation as "Breaking News", thus creating a mass euphoria and a hype of such a magnitude that it projected an image that for 2 days, all other news was seemingly unimportant or inferior than this 'significant' event. People sat glued to their TV sets following each and every stage of operation. The news made an overnight hero out of Prince & sure enough made a self-mockery of Indian news channels. As an Indian, I felt ashamed of the fact that it was a Black Day for Indian news agencies & that the standards of "Breaking News" was at its abyss.

Numerous such examples can be cited & still observed if you switch on your TV sets even at this moment. Try India TV, the ace among these "Breaking news"-mongers. This channel can 'create' "Breaking News" till eternity! They even have separate slots for such news - A Breaking News which is preplanned! (should I laugh or should I cry?). They certainly deserve a sarcastic applause.

In my opinion, "Breaking News" in context of Indian news channels is at a stage of serious identity crisis, wherein it is being seriously mistaken as an instrument to gain TRPs & to make insignificant news marketable. Indian media is still in a nascent stage & has a long way to go before it can (hope so...) mature! Till then let me check out CNN or BBC for some 'REAL' "Breaking News"!

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The Greatest Invention

This happened when I was in 1st year of engineering. After the day's lectures, I used to sit in the library and study from reference books. This way I got introduced to some of my seniors who used to be regulars there. I especially sought company of a senior named Rahul who was then in the final year. I used to spend about half an hour after finishing my studies, discussing many things with him. This guy had an unquenching thirst for knowledge and was quite an insightful thinker. In our friendly discussions, we touched upon numerous topics including books, movies, education, company policies and much more. I gained much knowledge from our talks and used to look forward to our library-table talks.

During one such chit-chat, Rahul asked me a question, "Mihir, what do you think is the greatest invention made by mankind?" Simple, as it sounded, I was very much baffled by this question. I had never thought about anything like this. Nevertheless I asked him for some time to think. Now my mind was searching for possibilities. 'Internet' I thought, but then I was skeptical whether it was the greatest of all. Electricity, fire, wheel ... all made their way to my mind, but deep down I knew these weren't the greatest of all. There was something that was much more supreme than these inventions. After thinking for about 10-15 minutes, I finally gave up. Then I asked Rahul to tell me what the answer was. The answer he gave silenced all my thoughts and there wasn't any need of further clarification. His answer was, "Language is the greatest invention ever made by man". "How true!", I thought. My mind went back to the Stone Age and the Early Man. Language was one of the earliest and most basic of the inventions which endowed him with the characteristics of a social animal. Man would have never ever intellectually evolved, had 'language' been never invented. His interactions with other humans would have never been possible. The great deal of knowledge now available to man would have been impossible to acquire. The concept of civilizations and their literary treasures and manuscripts would have never existed. The development of language was pivotal in building up the pillars of civilizations on which today's world has been erected. All the landmark events like Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, etc would be unheard of. And the world wouldn't be the one we see it now.

One more peculiar thing about Language is that it has a global presence, in each and every home, unlike other inventions - which aren't omnipresent. From a tribal in the jungles of Africa to the sophisticated businessman in his plush office, language has a presence in each one's lives. Hence the key to man's development and progress through past, present and the future is one great invention - Language!

That day when I packed off for the day, I had a happy feeling in my heart. Being a student of telecommunications, in future I may contribute in my own small way towards furthering the cause of communication among people through the medium of mankind's greatest invention - Language!!

A Monsoon Trek

It had been almost a year since I went for a trek. The last time I went trekking was somewhere in July 2006 to Takmak Fort. My first trek was to Pratapgad, near Satara when I was in 4th grade. I have been to around 18 forts till date and trekking continues to be one of my most favourite hobbies. Unfortunately due to the schedule of my college and studies, trekking has now become like an annual event for me during the short vacation after semester exams. But whenever I get a chance, I make it a point not to miss this outdoor activity.

This trek on 17th June was a 1day trek to Fort Kaldurg near Palghar, Maharashtra. Our trekking group (Janaseva Samiti) left early morning at around 5 am, boarding a Virar local. After getting down at Virar, a shuttle train took us to Palghar in about 40 minutes. The weather was pleasant, but had no signs of cloud cover, which unfortunately we were dying for! From Palghar, we boarded a ST bus which took us to "Vaaghobaachi Khind" which was the base for starting the trek uphill. We had a light breakfast at a Shiva temple at the base and filled our water bottles from a hand-pump. Soon we started our uphill task, eagerly waiting for first showers of the monsoon. The way to the top was fairly easy, compared to other treks. Last year I remember I had gone for trekking to 'Takmak' fort, which was more difficult than this one. So, we trekked along through the jungle, enjoying the breeze which can hardly be enjoyed in our concrete jungles. With many new trekkers in the group, the climb took us more time than expected. After one and half hour, we finally reached the summit. The far-stretching view of the entire region was a sight to see. The fort being not much of a full-fledged fort, has not much historical credits to its name. The fort was infact used as an outpost, to keep a check on the region under its influence. The breeze atop was very strong and I lay down on the rocks to enjoy it to the fullest.The fleeting clouds created a fabulous shadow-play on the hills nearby. I was watching the myriad strokes on the canvas of nature to my heart's content. We were there on the summit for about an hour and then started with our descent. On our way back, we got a
little sprinkling of water from the heavens, but that was too less for any comfort! Finally we were back to square one, the point where we started the ascent, but still no rains! We had our afternoon lunch at the same temple and then it was time for us to get back home.

We returned home only to find out that rains awaited us back home in Mumbai, where it was raining substantially. And lo! I had to take out my windcheater for the very first time this monsoon upon arrival at Borivali station, much closer home! What a way to
end the 'monsoon' trek!

Information you can use:

How to get there:

1) Board a Virar bound train early in the morning (5 - 5:30 a.m. is a good option)
2) After alighting at Virar, board a Shuttle train and get down at Palghar
3) From Palghar west, board a ST bus which would take you to "Vaaghobaachi Khind", the base camp

The Trek:

1) Trek is ideally suited for 1st time trekkers or a 1-day trek
2) Difficulty level: easy
3) 1.5 hrs ascent and almost the same for descent
4) The pathway to the summit is very straightforward; no scope of straying away from the course
5) Carry adequate water for drinking because there could be no or very little water on the top